Jewish Insider

At an iftar dinner at the White House, Trump praised Muslim Americans for supporting him in the November election and heaped praise on Amer Ghalib, his controversial nominee for ambassador to Kuwait. “He’s done a great job as mayor, and he’s done a great job with his support of us,” Trump said of Ghalib. “You’re going to have a great time with Kuwait, wonderful people, and it’s a great place, so congratulations.” https://lnkd.in/gp9wX7zH

Michael Kotlikoff was tapped as Cornell University president on March 21 at a fraught moment for elite universities, as some have come under scrutiny from the Trump administration for what officials have alleged is a failure to address rising incidents of antisemitism on campus. The Ivy League campus received warning this month from the Department of Education that it is under investigation for allowing antisemitic discrimination and risks losing funding cuts. One week into his new role, Kotlikoff sat down with Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen to share his plans — and what he believes sets Cornell apart at a time of intense inspection among Ivy Leagues. https://lnkd.in/gie56G4p

Jews should not turn away friends who speak out against antisemitism, philanthropist and World Jewish Congress-Israel President Sylvan Adams said at the Israeli Diaspora Ministry’s International Conference on Combating Antisemitism, which sparked controversy for including representatives of European nationalist parties. “We Jews need friends, and if members of the right or left dissociate themselves from and call out the antisemites, then I am happy they have agreed to come to Israel to publicly express their views,” Adams said. “Some of these parties will win elections in their respective countries, and their support for us will be enormously important.” https://lnkd.in/gkZUYQKV

Josh Weil, the Democratic challenger to Florida state Sen. Randy Fine in Tuesday’s special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, said in 2021 that the U.S. should withdraw its support for Israel. Weil, who was initially seen as having little chance of victory in a district Trump carried by 30 points, raised close to $10 million and has mounted an aggressive campaign against Fine, prompting consternation among top Republicans. Republican internal polling reportedly shows Fine trailing, though Republicans in the state say publicly that they’re confident he’ll win. https://lnkd.in/e9_mbzZN

The House voted overwhelmingly to block two amendments by Rep. Rashida Tlaib to a bill requiring disclosure of university funding from and investments in certain U.S. adversary countries that appeared tailored to target Israel. https://lnkd.in/eqfXNc8J

Sen. Bernie Sanders announced that he will force a vote next week on a pair of resolutions cutting off some offensive arms sales to Israel, kicking off a repeat of his high-profile floor votes on similar measures last year that divided the Senate Democratic Caucus. The votes will be the first test on Israel for Senate Democrats of the current term — signaling how new lawmakers who were not in the Senate last year will approach the issue, as well as how Democrats will address it while in the minority, under the Trump administration and in the wake of the collapsed cease-fire agreement in Gaza. https://lnkd.in/ekmT_ggy

Read today's Daily Kickoff: Talking to Cornell's new president Full briefing 👇 https://lnkd.in/e2d-VXb9

Senators and witnesses sparred over the Trump administration’s overall response to campus antisemitism and cuts to the Department of Education during the Senate HELP Committee hearing. https://lnkd.in/eBP34gmG

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka was a speaker at an event with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in the early 2000s and applauded violent and conspiratorial rhetoric by the controversial preacher. https://lnkd.in/gviKhwYz

In recent weeks, a scandal has emerged surrounding possible Qatari influence on Israeli decision-makers. A junior spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of being paid to provide public relations services to Qatar while working for the prime minister, and two consultants who have had access to Netanyahu for the past decade also allegedly worked for Doha. In addition to the possible security breach, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara cited the allegations to try to block Netanyahu from firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, saying that the prime minister has a conflict of interest as Bar’s agency is investigating the matter. https://lnkd.in/et9bMyf4